US promises to support decision to give Ukrainian church autocephaly

Friday, September 14, 2018 11:00:18 AM

The US will support the decision to grant the Ukrainian church autocephaly, said US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback at a meeting in Kyiv with Verkhovna Rada Chairman Andriy Parubiy.

“At the stage of deciding whether to grant the Ukrainian Orthodox Church a Tomos of autocephaly, we will not interfere. But when such a decision has been made, we will support it,” the diplomat promised.

Andriy Parubiy pointed out that the matter of creating an independent church is directly related to Ukraine’s security.

“Putin’s hybrid war has many elements, and the military element is important, but the information and humanitarian elements are just as important, and he uses these areas effectively and dangerously,” Parubiy observed.